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Freire brings an impressive 7-1 record to the lightweight tournament (Photo courtesy of Bellator).

Lightweight Looks to Earn Title Shot against Champion Eddie Alvarez

Patricky Friere (7-1) has been confirmed by Bellator Fighting Championships to be joining its upcoming lightweight tournament, which will get started in March. With his addition to the show, the Brazilian native is now united with his brother, Patricio, who will compete in the promotion’s featherweight competition this season.

"We've had our eye on Patricky for quite some time now, and it's great to have both ‘Pitbull Brothers’ fighting under the Bellator banner," Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated.

A seven-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu State Champion, two-time Regional Brazilian State Champion, in addition to being a Kickboxing and Boxing State Champion, Freire has only fought professionally in his native country to date. With Bellator presenting him with the opportunity to compete in the United States, the Rio Grande do Norte resident is eager to put his skills on display.

"I'm very anxious to show fans in the United States what I'm capable of," he remarked. "Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to fight at a really high level, and now I will with Bellator. I have always trained and fought very hard, and now it's time to test myself in deeper waters."

Freire also admitted that the chance to fight for Bellator likely extended his career as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

"There were several times I thought about giving up on my fight career,” he confirmed. “It's very hard to make money fighting in Brazil, but now I can see if you keep looking for your dream, you can make it happen."

The Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament will take place over a 12-week season from March until May. Bellator will have live broadcasts of the entire competition, kicking off a three-year deal that the promotion signed with MTV2 on March 5th.